Jeremy Day-O'Connell

Assistant Professor of Music

General Interests
"I have always been fascinated by the simple question, 'How does music work?' My recent research has directed this question toward one simple building block of music, the scale. In my new book, Pentatonicism From the Eighteenth Century to Debussy, I show how composers' decisions regarding scalar material and scalar practice can shed light on the inner workings of European music history. While my primary concern is with the craft of musical composition, the book also considers the rich meanings music has (and had) and where those meanings come from. My current, related, research examines harmonic practice in the music of Debussy (PDF) and his contemporaries.

In 2009-10 I am working on a new project, 'Music, Language, and the Minor Third,' while visiting the University of Edinburgh as a Fulbright Distinguished Scholar. This research arises out of my work on the pentatonic scale but actually involves something of a disciplinary and methodological shift. I have long been interested in what linguists call 'stylized intonation': the occasional use, in spoken language, of sung syllables intoned with deliberate, discrete dyads often purported to approximate the minor third (as in 'Yoo-hoo,' 'Bye-bye,' etc.). This phenomenon (and especially its purported-but largely undocumented-universality) raises provocative questions about the relationship between music and language."

Years at Knox: 2004 to present

Education
Ph.D., Musicology, 2002, Cornell University.
M.A., Musicology, 1997, Cornell University.
B.A., Music and Mathematics, 1993, Swarthmore College.

Teaching Interests
Music theory, music analysis, nineteenth-century music

Recent Recognition
Awards
Philip Green Wright-Lombard College Award for Distinguished Teaching, Knox College, 2009.

Donald J. Grout Memorial Prize. Music Department, Cornell University, 2002.

Guildford Dissertation Prize. English Department, Cornell University, 2002.

Fellowships
Fulbright Distinguished Scholar, 2009-2010.

Postdoctoral Fellowship in Music Theory. University of Chicago, 2004-2005.

Lilly Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Humanities and Arts. Valparaiso University, Indiana, 2002-2004.

Recent Accomplishments
Publications
"Debussy, Pentatonicism, and the Tonal Tradition." Music Theory Spectrum 31.2 (2009): 225-61.

Pentatonicism From the Eighteenth Century to Debussy. University of Rochester Press, 2007.

"The Rise of ^6 in the Nineteenth Century." Music Theory Spectrum 24 1 (2002): 35-67.

Articles in two music references, The New Grove Dictionary of Musicand Musicians, Second Edition, 2001, and The Reader's Guide to Music, 1999.

Presentations
"Beyond Verse and Chorus: A History of Form in Pop-Rock." National Meeting of the Society for American Music, Denver, 2009.

"Debussy and the Pentatonic Tradition." National Joint Meeting of the American Musicological Society and the Society for Music Theory, Nashville, Tennessee, 2006.

"Harps, Harpists, and the History of Harmony." National Meeting of the College Music Society, Quebec City, Canada, 2005.

"Pentatonicism in Nineteenth-Century Music." University of Chicago Colloquium Series, Chicago, 2005.

"A Brief History of ^6." National meeting of the Society For Music Theory, Atlanta, Georgia, 1999.

Campus & Community Involvement
Member, Society For Music Theory.
Member, American Musicological Society.

What Students Say
"Jeremy is an incredible musician, a terrific teacher, and a really nice guy. His class was challenging, but never frustrating, because he created an environment in which I never felt stupid for asking questions. His enthusiasm for music and teaching made it impossible to not care about music theory-every day, kids walked out of the classroom still discussing the material. Plus, he rocks at steel drums."
-Deana Rutherford '09

"Each day Jeremy arrives in class bursting with contagious enthusiasm. Whether we are studying Bach or Ace of Bass he makes music fascinating and exciting. His music theory classes end the term with each student composing their own piece. Although many students enter his class merely wanting to learn more about music, his class prepares everyone to actually compose; its not a skill we brought into the class, but something he taught us all. He's around whenever you want to talk music, but he takes extra effort into helping everyone with their composition. What more can you ask for from a professor?"
-Daniel Hoffman '09

"There is hardly another teacher who demands-and whose students achieve-excellence on such a consistent basis."
-Molly Nicholas '09

Contact
309-341-7301
jdayocon@knox.edu